El Paso Churches: Take a Selfie with Pope Francis Cutout (No Joke)

It’s an exciting time for El Paso-area Catholics; Pope Francis is making a stop in Juarez next month marking the first time ever a pope visits the El Paso-Juárez area.

But just because it's across the border shouldn't get in the way of you snapping the holiest of selfies.

The Diocese of El Paso recognizes that not everyone will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with His Holiness, so it's distributed life-size cardboard cutouts of the pontiff to Catholic churches around the city so that parishioners can take photos of themselves with the pope’s image.

The Diocese is also urging church members to share the pics on social media using the hashtag #popefrancisattheborder.

While most see it as a fun keepsake of the visit and a sign of the times, some find the notion of posing with a papal cutout disrespectful.

"Wow. Just wow" was Jess Agui's reaction to the news on the Mike and Tricia Facebook page, while Mary Medina expressed her contempt with a simple, "Crass."

Cool or crass, I'm pretty sure the pope would be okay with it. After all, Papa Francisco is known for repeatedly breaking protocol and readily obliging requests for selfie shots.